Hannah Miller and Jessica Haglund, both with the International Relations Committee of the DC/SLA, have collaborated on international library projects in Latin America such as the Libraries for All project in Nicaragua. Working from knowledge gained from such grass roots library projects, they advocated the identification of authentic local needs and the expression of cultural sensitivity. A key way to help is sharing basic skills such as circulation of materials, minimal cataloging, and conservation of books. Many communities lack basic infrastructure such as passable roads so the

Hannah Miller and Jessica Haglund, both with the International Relations Committee of the DC/SLA, have collaborated on international library projects in Latin America such as the Libraries for All project in Nicaragua. Working from knowledge gained from such grass roots library projects, they advocated the identification of authentic local needs and the expression of cultural sensitivity. A key way to help is sharing basic skills such as circulation of materials, minimal cataloging, and conservation of books. Many communities lack basic infrastructure such as passable roads so the

A fundamental handout for the group was an article written for the workshop by Nancy Bolt, former state librarian and now library consultant in Boulder, CO, whose efforts led to partnerships between 12 institutions in Bulgaria with American libraries in Colorado, Iowa and Maryland.

A fundamental handout for the group was an article written for the workshop by Nancy Bolt, former state librarian and now library consultant in Boulder, CO, whose efforts led to partnerships between 12 institutions in Bulgaria with American libraries in Colorado, Iowa and Maryland.

Revision as of 17:44, 26 April 2011

Sister Libraries, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA), was in the spotlight for Washington DC area librarians on April 2, 2011 at a half-day workshop aimed at encouraging local librarians to build partnerships with overseas libraries. Participants included representatives from DC’s public schools, charter schools, public libraries, and a local university. Workshop organizers sought to raise awareness of Sister Libraries as a creative way to add an international level to local library operations. Sister Libraries is an umbrella term for a formal or informal relationship between libraries in different countries to build community ties between the organizations and to meet local needs.

The workshop was hosted by DCPL’s Southeast Branch Library. Speakers were recruited from the DCLA, DCPL, DC/SLA, Information Resource Office of the U. S. Department of State, and IREX, an international nonprofit organization.

The workshop was organized by the District of Columbia Library Association (DCLA) and co-sponsored by the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) and the International Relations Committee of the DC chapter of the Special Library Association (DC/SLA).

Carol Brey-Casiano discusses international ties for American libraries.

The main speakers included Carol Brey-Casiano, Information Resource Officer (IRO)of the U. S. Department of State stationed in Washington DC, who described her commitment to international outreach for public libraries. She noted that having a sister library raises awareness of issues facing libraries worldwide, offers connections for local immigrant communities, supplies technological solutions to problems, broadens knowledge of other cultures, and helps build staff expertise. Click to view Carol Brey-Casiano's presentation slides.
Carol Brey-Casiano's presentation slides

Meaghan O’Connor, a long-time advocate for Sister Libraries and now a program officer with IREX, provided a whirlwind tour of the Sister Libraries website demonstrating the directory that lists all available partners, brochure in six languages, guidelines for forming a partnership, and other key information. Ms. O’Connor stressed that Sister Libraries partners come from all kinds of libraries – public, academic, and special libraries – and that interested librarians can post their own library’s contact information at this interactive website because it serves as a kind of “dating” site.

Anne Johnson describes the network of American Corners as suitable partners for library programs and shared events.

Anne Johnson, IRO stationed in Washington DC, manages a network of some 400 American Corners (AC) which are small-scale program partnerships between U. S. embassies and local institutions abroad. Many ACs are housed in libraries and can be suitable partners for American school and public libraries. As centers of information and resources about the USA, ACs offer a wide variety of programs about American society, history, culture and other topics. For example, Internet capability usually allows face-to-face programming via digitial video conferencing between speakers in the USA and the distant ACs.
Click to view Ann Johnson's presentation slides.
Ann Johnson's presentation slides

Henry Mendelsohn notes that forming a Sister Library partnership requires patience and persistence as many US libraries are under budgetary stress.

Describing one successful Sister Library partnership begun in 2010 between American Corners in Cairo, Egypt, and Queens Borough Public Library in New York City, Henry Mendelsohn, IRO stationed in Cairo, noted that outreach by American libraries can have very tangible results. In January, 2011, the upheaval in Cairo’s Tahrir Square led to the looting and burning of the partner libraries. Queens Library responded to the crisis by setting up a donor website allowing its patrons to assist recovery efforts for the Egyptian libraries. Though successful in building the Egyptian connections, Mr. Mendelsohn noted that American libraries are under budgetary stress so forming selected partnerships is a difficult mission requiring persistence and good planning.

Nancy Davenport urges workshop participants to focus on measurable impacts and results in Sister Library proposals especially if children are the intended audience.

Nancy Davenport, director of library services at DCPL, brought the administrator’s perspective to the matter of adding Sister Library duties to an already-overburdened staff of a typical public library. She noted that results and impacts should be measurable elements of a viable plan to introduce an international partnership intended to meet a local community’s overseas interests and needs. Programs intended for a library’s children and youth constituency might be the most attractive for city administrators. She encouraged workshop participants to work on short-term programs and present them as low-cost pilot efforts to steer future planning in bigger projects.

Hannah Miller notes that grass roots library programs such as Libraries for All are in their infancy in many Latin American communities.

Jessica Haglund reports that deficiencies such as lack of passable roads interfere with delivery of services though “skill sharing” with overseas librarians is a big help.

Hannah Miller and Jessica Haglund, both with the International Relations Committee of the DC/SLA, have collaborated on international library projects in Latin America such as the Libraries for All project in Nicaragua. Working from knowledge gained from such grass roots library projects, they advocated the identification of authentic local needs and the expression of cultural sensitivity. A key way to help is sharing basic skills such as circulation of materials, minimal cataloging, and conservation of books. Many communities lack basic infrastructure such as passable roads so the
Sister Library partners need to balance expectations with capabilities.
Hannah and Jessica's presentation slides

A fundamental handout for the group was an article written for the workshop by Nancy Bolt, former state librarian and now library consultant in Boulder, CO, whose efforts led to partnerships between 12 institutions in Bulgaria with American libraries in Colorado, Iowa and Maryland.

Workshop participants reported several takeaway ideas:

Focus on what your partner needs and is looking for

Identifying American partners has been difficult as few U. S. libraries participate in the “dating” service available through ALA’s Sister Library website

Libraries are not just about books - a Sister Library partnership can use other media formats for resources and programming

Seeking donors and funding is a challenge in the current economic climate

Think “test” and “prototype” for initial proposals as long-term projects will be harder to sell

Rely on DC area library colleagues to build a Sister Library community of practice

Former ALA President Sarah Long initiated Sister Libraries in 1999. Ms. Brey-Casiano, also a former ALA president, promoted the initiative in 2005 with funds to improve its operations. A subcommittee of ALA’s International Relations Committee supports Sister Library efforts by maintaining a wiki website where potential partners can find helpful resources and by conducting programs at the annual ALA conferences.
The wiki is available to all at http://wikis.ala.org/sisterlibraries/index.php/Main_Page.